OK, I know it's a pipe dream, but Weber would put us over the top and make us as close to unbeatable in a seven-game series as is possible under a cap system.

He's a RFA next year and while an offer sheet is a possibility, the price in 1st rounders is too high long term (IMO). Nashville knows he wants out and they obviously want a good return. I'm hoping they slide out of the playoff picture and look to deal him at the deadline.

Ballard
Schneider
Hodgson
1st
3rd

It's a nice package but probably not enough. Weber is one of the best players in the game right now. Nashville are probably looking for a star player in return and/or a couple legit blue-chip prospects. Also, Nashville seems pretty set in goal so I don't know how much value Schneider has for them.

Anyway, just some boredom-induced speculation...

What do you guys think it would take to land Weber via trade? Could we do it without losing huge parts of out team? Obviously a lot of teams would be making offers if he became available...

trouble wrote:To get this deal done you would be looking at something more like this

Edler
Hodgson
1st
2nd

for Weber and another player

If we have to send Edler the other way I wouldn't even bother. The kid is still developing and has complete-game potential that puts him among the NHL elite. Whether he gets there remains to be seen, but I wouldn't trade Edler.

For any deal to happen this season we'd either need a long term injury to a core player or to send Keith Ballard the other way; even assuming Mason Raymond stays out of the lineup until the end of the year we have to clear $5m in cap space for Weber (and more if we are trading away a player like Schneider who must also be replaced).

So Ballard is the obvious player to make the cap numbers work, but does Nashville want to commit three more years and $12.6m to this guy? We can ask S_C to go into great detail about why they wouldn't but the short version is that he's a bit of a riverboat gambler for whom it is not unprecedented to have a bad season here and there. And this coming from a poster who likes KB4.

But yeah.. I think the core of the deal has to be Weber for Ballard and at least one other player off the roster (likely Hodgson), and to make it even slightly appealing I'm sure the Preds would want to take their pick of the organizations best young players. Schneider, Schroeder, Jensen, etc.

In order to make this happen in season we would basically have to sell the farm. The thing is, Weber might actually be worth it - but I doubt the Predators even think about this unless their season is an unmitigated disaster. Even then I would guess they'd try to deal Suter or even Rinne and hope they can fight back to contention while they still have a shot at re-signing Weber.

The Canucsk took Kesler ahead of Weber in that draft, should the Canucks took Weber ways ahead of draft listing? I remember them trying to move up to get Shea in the 2nd round but they couldn't, they messed up by not moving up eh!

Shea lives in Kelowna, would he take a home town discount to play in Vancouver? Shea is getting $7.5 M this year, what could we shead off the cap to get him at the trading dealine or for next year?

Keep your friends and your enemies very close
You never know when you might have to stab one
of them in the back!